Written Answers Wednesday 15 December 2010

Scottish Executive

2014 Commonwealth Games

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the delivery of a lasting legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Nicola Sturgeon: I am pleased to say that we have today published the first progress report against our Games Legacy Plan, A games legacy for Scotland , which was launched in September 2009. Since then, working with our partners, we have made good progress across all key areas in our ambitions for delivering a lasting legacy for the people and communities of Scotland.

  This update outlines the progress made on our aspiration to get people more physically active. Significant progress has been made through the launch of the Active Nation campaign with Scots everywhere taking their own steps towards a healthier life. The first community sports hub is also now in use with each local authority committed to creating and developing their own hubs to suit local needs and priorities.

  The work done in regenerating the east end of Glasgow through the work on the athlete’s village and velodrome is also detailed. The games continue to provide an essential boost to the national and local economy with the report illustrating Scottish companies’ successes in winning 82% of games related contracts so far, worth around £158 million to the Scottish economy.

  In developing programmes for our young people, 71 youth legacy ambassadors have been recruited from all over Scotland to promote and ensure that young people will be directly involved in creating the legacies they want to see in their own communities.

  The Scottish Government has always been quite clear that the games will touch upon all communities. The games for Scotland programme around the Delhi handover was celebrated in all 32 local authorities and work will continue to ensure that the level of engagement and commitment by partners is maintained as we move forward to 2014.

  With the games now handed to Scotland the update reflects that their legacy is beginning to deliver for people now, and shows that we are well on track not only to deliver an outstanding games but leave a lasting impact on all of Scotland.

  The update A games legacy for Scotland can be found at:  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/ArtsCultureSport/Sport/MajorEvents/Glasgow-2014/Commonwealth-games.

  A copy of the document has also been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) (Bib. number 52207).

Ferry Services

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) pilot scheme will end and whether ferry prices will immediately revert to pre-pilot scheme prices on that date.

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how long it expects the study into the Road Equivalent Tariff pilot scheme to take.

Keith Brown: The RET pilot scheme has been extended to spring 2012. The final results of the evaluation of the pilot will be available early in 2011. This will allow ministers to make decisions on fare levels for ferry services in the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree and the rest of Scotland, beyond the pilot period.

Ferry Services

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the concerns of businesses offering tour packages that include routes included in the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) pilot scheme that they will have difficulty in setting 2012 prices as a result of the anticipated ending of the Road Equivalent Tariff pilot scheme.

Keith Brown: Decisions about the future of RET will be taken once the final results of the evaluation of the pilot are available in early 2011. Decisions will be taken in good time to allow ferry operators to set fares for 2012, and for businesses to plan accordingly.

Fire Service

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many trainee firefighters have undergone training at the Scottish Fire Services College in each of the last five years.

Fergus Ewing: The number of trainee firefighters who underwent training at the Scottish Fire Services College in 2005-06 was 104 (whole-time) and 23 (retained). For the financial years since then I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-34006 on 9 June 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Hepatitis

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been diagnosed with hepatitis C, broken down by (a) age group, (b) socioeconomic group, (c) risk group and (d) gender in (i) Scotland and (ii) each NHS board in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Shona Robison: The number of people diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C infection for the past five years is available in Hepatitis C infection rates and treatment data by age, deprivation, risk group and gender by NHS Board area, 2005 to June 2010 , a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 52196). The information broken down by age group can be found in table number 2a, information by risk group is contained in table 2c and information by gender is contained in 2d. Each table contains information by NHS health board and totals for Scotland. Information by socioeconomic group is not available.

  The Scottish Government has invested significant resources in to tackling hepatitis C via the hepatitis C action plan. This is shown by the increases in numbers of people diagnosed over the last three years and the significant increases in numbers of people commencing treatment. The number of people initiating treatment almost doubled from 591 in 2008 to 904 in 2009.

Hepatitis

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are hepatitis C antibody positive, broken down by (a) age group, (b) socioeconomic group, (c) risk group and (d) gender in (i) Scotland and (ii) each NHS board in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Shona Robison: The number of people who are hepatitis C antibody positive for the past five years is available in Hepatitis C infection rates and treatment data by age, deprivation, risk group and gender by NHS Board area, 2005 to June 2010 a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 52196). The information broken down by age group can be found in table number 1a. Information by socioeconomic group can be seen in graph 1b, information by risk group is contained in table 1c and information by gender is contained in 1d. Each table contains information by NHS health board and totals for Scotland.

  The Scottish Government has invested significant resources in to tackling hepatitis C via the hepatitis C action plan. This is shown by the increases in numbers of people diagnosed over the last three years and the significant increases in numbers of people commencing treatment. The number of people initiating treatment almost doubled from 591 in 2008 to 904 in 2009.

Hepatitis

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people received active treatment for hepatitis C, broken down by (a) age group, (b) socioeconomic group, (c) risk group and (d) gender in (i) Scotland and (ii) each NHS board in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Shona Robison: The number of people who received active treatment for Hepatitis C for the past five years is available in Hepatitis C infection rates and treatment data by age, deprivation, risk group and gender by NHS Board area, 2005 to June 2010  a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 52196). The information broken down by age group can be found in table number 3a. Information by risk group is contained in table 3c and information by gender is contained in 3d. Each table contains information by NHS health board and totals for Scotland. Information by socioeconomic group is not currently available.

  The Scottish Government has invested significant resources in to tackling hepatitis C via the hepatitis C action plan. This is shown by the increases in numbers of people diagnosed over the last three years and the significant increases in numbers of people commencing treatment. The number of people initiating treatment almost doubled from 591 in 2008 to 904 in 2009.

Hepatitis

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people who received treatment for hepatitis C achieved sustained viral response to treatment broken down by (a) age group, (b) socioeconomic group, (c) risk group and (d) gender in (i) Scotland and (ii) each NHS board in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Shona Robison: Information on sustained viral response (SVR) for those patients commencing treatment in the last five years is currently not available at national level in a validated and comparable format.

  The Scottish Government has invested significant resources in to tackling  hepatitis C via the hepatitis C action plan. This is shown by the increases in numbers of people diagnosed over the last three years and the significant increases in numbers of people commencing treatment. The number of people initiating treatment almost doubled from 591 in 2008 to 904 in 2009.

Holocaust Day 2011

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to commemorate Holocaust Day 2011.

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive where the national event in Scotland Holocaust Day 2011 will be held.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish National Holocaust Memorial Day Commemorations 2011 will take place in Craigroyston High School in Edinburgh on 27 January 2011. As well as working with the school, the event is being developed and delivered by the Scottish Government in partnership with the Edinburgh Inter Faith Association; Edinburgh City Council, and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

Justice

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases have been dismissed from (a) sheriff or (b) high courts following the judgment of the UK Supreme Court on Cadder v Her Majesty’s Advocate.

Elish Angiolini: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is currently monitoring the impact of the decision in Her Majesty’s Advocate v Cadder.

  There were 3,471 cases in which the absence of access to a solicitor prior to interview at a police station had been raised at the date of the decision. An initial estimate indicated that 120 solemn cases were likely to be challenged. Cases are currently being reviewed, with priority being given to solemn cases, and where appropriate further enquiries are being conducted to ascertain if there are other sources of evidence that may provide a sufficiency of evidence. The Crown intends to publish statistics on the impact of the judgment at the conclusion of this review process in early 2011.

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) long-term and (b) life sentence prisoners have been released without first being sent to an open prison in each of the last three years.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is shown in the following table. This shows the most recent available data. Data for 2009-10 are due to be published on 20 December 2010.

  Figures include long-term and life prisoners recalled from licence. For such prisoners, it is not possible to determine whether they have spent time in the Open Estate prior to their initial liberation.

  Long-term and Life Sentence Prisoners Released from Custody: 2006-07 to 2008-09

  

 % of prisoners who
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09


Long-term prisoners
 


Spent time in the Open Estate
39
38
36


Not spent time in the Open Estate
61
62
64


Life sentence prisoners
 
 
 


Spent time in the Open Estate
48
54
56


Not spent time in the Open Estate
52
46
44



  Source: Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions have failed as a result of the judgment of the UK Supreme Court on Cadder v Her Majesty’s Advocate, broken down by (a) month and (b) main charge.

Elish Angiolini: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is currently monitoring the impact of the decision in Her Majesty’s Advocate v Cadder.

  There were 3,471 cases in which the absence of access to a solicitor prior to interview at a police station had been raised at the date of the decision. An initial estimate indicated that 120 solemn cases were likely to be challenged. Cases are currently being reviewed, with priority being given to solemn cases, and where appropriate further enquiries are being conducted to ascertain if there are other sources of evidence that may provide a sufficiency of evidence. The Crown intends to publish statistics on the impact of the judgment at the conclusion of this review process in early 2011.

Procurement

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the use of public procurement to support boycotts and disinvestment targeted at Israel and whether it has the power to do this.

John Swinney: Israel is a party to the World Trade Organization’s Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). The GPA is an international trade agreement that applies in the UK, other EU member states and other participating countries, including Israel. It provides that EU companies have a legal right of access to contract opportunities advertised by public bodies in Israel and that Israeli companies have equivalent rights when tendering for public contracts in the EU.

  Companies which have failed to comply with the law or which have committed acts of grave misconduct may be excluded from competition. It is not usually possible, however, to refuse to deal with a company simply because it has a connection to another country or because it is offering to supply goods produced in another country.

Public Transport

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bus operators have procured low-carbon vehicles and qualified for a double rate of Bus Service Operators Grant since April 2010, broken down by (a) operator and (b) number of vehicles.

Keith Brown: To date no operator has claimed the Low Carbon Vehicle incentive within the Bus Service Operators Grant Scheme. However, with the recent announcement of the winning bids for the Scottish Green Bus Fund we expect at least six operators with 50 vehicles to make a claim in 2011-12.

Renewable Energy

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the legal set-back distances are for the construction of wind turbines from (a) individual properties and (b) settlements.

Keith Brown: There are no legal set-back distances. Scottish Planning Policy recommends a 2km separation distance between areas of search for wind farms and the edge of cities, towns and villages. The Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee has supported this position as a guide rather than a rule in closing petition PE1328; the petition summary can be accessed on the Scottish Parliament’s website http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/petitions/docs/PE1328.htm .

Substance Misuse

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) reports will include a specific report on each school’s progress towards the provisions in the Curriculum for Excellence on substance misuse.

Michael Russell: HMIE reports comment on the quality of the school’s approaches to promoting the overall health and wellbeing of children and young people. Reports will not usually make specific comments about a school’s progress/success in six individual organisers (mental, emotional and physical wellbeing; planning for choices and changes; physical education, physical activity and sport; food and health; substance misuse and relationships, sexual health and parenthood) that make up health and wellbeing. Only in exceptional circumstances, would there be specific reference to substance misuse or to any of the other organisers (when, for example, a school has especially strong or weak provision in a particular aspect).

Transport

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-37400 and S3W-37389 by Stewart Stevenson on 18 November and S3W-37552 by Stewart Stevenson on 25 November 2010, what the estimated costs are of upgrading Gleneagles station, including the necessary changes to make access by road safe and practical, to provide safe access to the golf course for pedestrians and access for disabled people to the station and golf course and what the cost would be of reopening Blackford station.

Keith Brown: Development of the transport plan for the 2014 Ryder Cup is at an early stage and final decisions on transport provision for the event have yet to be agreed. As such, I am not in a position to provide any costings for the possible upgrading of Gleneagles Station or potential road access at this time.

  AECOM’s independent review published earlier this year on behalf of the Campaign to Open Blackford Railway Station Again (COBRA) quotes the cost of re-opening Blackford Station to be £4.5 million. This figure was estimated by the Tayside and Central Scotland Transport Partnership in its Tay Estuary Rail Study and does not include road access.

Weather

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether guidelines were issued to police forces concerning how to assist members of the public caught up in cold weather conditions following the winter of 2009-10.

Kenny MacAskill: No guidelines were issued to police following the winter of 2009-10. Police forces, working in partnership with other agencies under local strategic co-ordination groups, agree the operational response according to local circumstances.

Weather

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which minister is chairing the meetings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience to discuss the 2010-11 winter conditions.

Kenny MacAskill: I am the standing chair of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience. Meetings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee which have taken place to discuss the 2010-11 winter conditions, the first of which took place on 24 November 2010, have also been chaired by the First Minister, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, the Minister for Environment and the Head of Scottish Resilience.

Weather

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who has attended the meetings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience to discuss the 2010-11 winter conditions.

Kenny MacAskill: The meetings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience to discuss severe winter weather have been attended by the following ministers: the First Minister; Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing; Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning; Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth; Cabinet Secretary for Justice; Minister for Environment and Climate Change, and Minister for Transport and Infrastructure.

  Officials from Scottish Resilience, Transport Scotland, NHSScotland Resilience have also been in attendance, along with officials from the following Scottish Government Directorates: Children, Young People and Social Care; Energy; Health Delivery; Learning; Rural and Environment; Strategy, Ministerial Support and Communications, and Safer Communities.

  In addition, representatives of the following external organisations have attended meetings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee: Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland; Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES); BAA, Edinburgh Airport; a Military Liaison Officer; COSLA; First ScotRail; the Met Office; Network Rail; Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS); SOLACE Scotland; Traveline Scotland; representatives of Scotland’s police forces and the Strategic Co-ordinating Groups established under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

Weather

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which ministers are members of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience dealing with the 2010-11 winter conditions.

Kenny MacAskill: The following ministers are members of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience dealing with severe weather: First Minister; Cabinet Secretary for Justice (Chair); Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing; Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth; Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning; Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment; Lord Advocate; Minister for Environment and Climate Change, and Minister for Transport and Infrastructure.

Weather

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how often and (b) for how long the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience dealing with the 2010-11 winter conditions met between 11 November and 8 December 2010.

Kenny MacAskill: Between 11 November and 8 December 2010, the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience met on the following occasions and discussed the 2010-11 winter conditions. Each meeting lasted between one and two hours:

  

Date
Time


24 November 2010
10.45 am


25 November 2010
10.00 am


26 November 2010
2.30 pm


27 November 2010
11.00 am


29 November 2010
11.00 am


30 November 2010
1.00 pm


1 December 2010
12.30 pm


2 December 2010
1.00 pm


3 December 2010
3.00 pm


4 December 2010
11.00 am


5 December 2010
11.00 am


6 December 2010
3.00 pm


6 December 2010
8.30 pm


7 December 2010
10.00 am


7 December 2010
3.30 pm


8 December 2010
11.00 am



  Since 8 December, meetings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee have continued on a daily basis.

  In addition to meetings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience, 15 other ministerial resilience meetings with external organisations took place during the period concerned to discuss the 2010-11 winter conditions.

Weather

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a representative of (a) Amey plc and (b) BEAR Scotland has been present at the meetings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience discussing the 2010-11 winter conditions and, if so, at which meetings.

Kenny MacAskill: Representatives of Amey plc and BEAR Scotland have not been present at the meetings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience.

  Transport Scotland officials have, however, attended all the meetings of the Cabinet Sub-Committee discussing the 2010-11 winter conditions. They have liaised closely with Amey plc, BEAR Scotland and other operating companies as required.